New Kia Sportage has features of the electric Kia EV6 [UPDATE: prijs bekend]

How times change… Fifteen years ago, we wouldn’t have said we like a Kia about a Kia, but the Korean brand has since made huge strides in both design and technology. The Kia EV6 is one of the most interesting electric cars of the moment and this new Kia Sportage has clearly acquired that trait.

The current Sportage is still one of the old Kia design stamp, with a pronounced tiger nose grille, shapeless headlights and a somewhat convex body. It has been on the market since 2015 and is the fourth generation of the Kia Sportage, the first of which went on sale in 1993.

New Kia Sportage has features of the electric Kia EV6

Kia Sportage with elements of the electric Kia EV6

In the photos, the Sportage looks like a fairly hefty SUV (it measures 4.66 meters in length), with straight lines, a rising waistline and a rear with EV6 elements, such as the concave tailgate and the LED bar across the width. The nose is the most striking element of the Kia. It’s a busy place there, with a large grille, a sort of upper lip above it, hook-shaped daytime running lights and small headlight units.

Large screen as digital cockpit and infotainment display

Inside the new Kia Sportage we see an interesting mix of modern and traditional: with (fortunately) many physical buttons for the most important functions, but also a huge display, which serves as digital instrumentation and infotainment screen. Striking is the stylization of the air vents, which support the display like a kind of bookends.

Kia Sportage as mild hybrid, hybrid and plug-in hybrid

When the Kia Sportage comes on the Dutch market later this year, it will be available with a 150 hp and 250 Nm 1.6-liter turbo engine and front-wheel drive. The Sportage Hybrid and Sportage Plug-in Hybrid always have 4WD. The first is 230 hp and 350 Nm strong. As a plug-in hybrid, the Sportage produces 265 hp and 350 Nm of torque. With its 13.8 kWh battery, the Kia will probably reach a maximum distance of 60 kilometers.